Bookbinding.



Patented Sept; 4, I900.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES J. TAYLOR, OFCHICAGO, ILLINoIs, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF TO JOHN B.HALL, JR., on SAME PLACE. A

BOOKBINDING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 57,503, datedSeptember4, 1900.

Application filed March 80, 1900. serial No. 10,813. (No model.) i i Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES J. TAYLOR, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinols, have mvented certain newand useful ImprovementsinBookbindin'g, of which the following is a specification.

-My lnvention relates to certain newiand useful lmprovements inbookbinding; and

one object is primarily to makea book with a fiat square back andconsisting of a number of double leaves forming a single signature.

which will open flat at any place and can be bent back without injuringthe binding. Some books are made by fastening together a number ofsignatures by side stitching,

each signature vconsisting of a number 'of folded double leaves nestedtogether. Such books cannot be opened so that the leaves will lieperfectly flat because of the side stitching, and if this stitching islocated too closeto the back edge of the signature and the book is Iforced open or bent backward the. stitching will frequentlybreak throughtheback and permit the signature to fall out. A great many pamphlets andsmall books are made of a single signature, the leaves of which arefastened togetherby saddle-back stitching,

but the regular size of such books is limited to about one-quarter -ofaninch in thickness, and even then it is a difficult matter to trim thebook without breaking off one of its corners or otherwise marring itsappearance.

' The side-stitched books have a square back,

but saddle-back-stitched books do not, and as a square back is preferredas presentinga neater and better appearance books which might bemade inone signature at a great deal less cost are sometimes divided into twosignatures and side-stitched for the sole purpose of securing a squareback. Various means A have also been employed for providing flat--opening books, and these means have usually consisted in the provisionof some kind of a hinging device connected with the signature orgrooving or treating the leaves in some way to produce a hingin'geffect. These methods are moreor less expensive and impractical forgeneral bookbinding, and it is therefore with the object in view ofovercoming the objections to the methods of binding isopened that'l havedevised this invention. .55

Another object of my invention is to provide a book with a flat squareback and consisting of only a single signature, the leaves of which arefastened together through the back and not through the side.

My invention also has other objects in view, which will be pointed outhereinafter in the detailed description thereof.

.In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a book partly openedand embodying my invention. Fig. 2 shows one of the double leaves andthe creases therein. Fig. 3 is .a top view of a book embodying myinvention. Fig. 4 illustrates abook opened fiat. Referring to thedrawings, in which like numerals of reference denote corresponding partsin the several figures, it will be observed I that a book embodying myinvention will consistof a number of double leaves 5, having parallelcreases 6 at the back thereof and providing a back portion 7, which isof gradually-decreasing width in each successive sheet from the outsideof the book to the middle thereof, so that the sheetsmay be nested in aregular and even manner to form a book of uniform thickness. in any wayand by any means, and it will be understood that to form these creasesthe sheets are not necessarily scored to the extent of cutting them toany depth, although while I may crease the sheets I prefer not to cutthe sheets unless it be necwill accomplish the objects of myinvention.

A book made in accordance with my invention will therefore consist of asingle signature, and the creases on each sheet will be made so that allthe sheets when nested will IOO I I form solid signature, that thebookfwhenbound'willbe of substantial charf' 1 Iernploy an 3 1' or other:rneans bein'gusediinanyway and in f iahy'ma'nnerfdesired to' produceafastening; l through the back'in the nature of'a saddle:

acten ing many novel characteristics, chief among }which isthat-itwill,openperfectly flatat-any placeandremainin theo'pen positionwith-,

I out buckling-up in 'any"way, therebydisclos-f ing the entiresheet toplain viewfand pre-f' sentinga flat h surface which can be written Ixuponcle'ar unto the crease in the sheet-, and

each page resting flat upon the others,whichj constitute a solid basefor writing. "T his is of especialjimportancein connection with ale mostall kinds ot blank books, and, in; fact," with all books'which are toreceive-writing,- 1; including order, receipt, and delivery books iscrap andcheck-books', albums, am. It also greatly facilitates theuse'of carbon-sheets, Qaisthese sheets can "be" arranged-in a made inaccordance withmy invention to filo . much better advantage, and writingthereon- 7 is greatly facilitated. c 1 Another: of thefimportantfeatures of the invention consists in the provision of a book havingasquare or flat back,, which permits] of fastenin g a paper orcardboard, or other 1 cover-on thebook, thereby giving it 'theap}pe'arance of'an ordinary 'sewedjbookwith; sidelfstitchin g, while as amatter'of ,ffactlthel sheets are; fastened. by saddle-back stiteliin'g'v or otherwisjagi 'lhis square character givenai; I

to vthe-bookbyjreason of the manner'inwhich f itis' made greatlyimproves the appearance ofithebook :and" makes it more substantial",and'las'ting,enabling the use of'a'stifi'back in'niany casesfwhre ithas not been possible 1; to advantage and; at a reasonable vcost; here:While n w gle signature, the sheets .of whicharefass;

tenedjthroughthe-back, as by saddle-back; stitching, itinay be madeofany size and-of any number ofsheets and trimmed properly withoutbeing-marred; It is also-possible to Q open a book made in accordancewith my in v vention, isuchjasa song-book, and bend it back sothat thecovers thereof willlmeet with-l tofore jijv. V g

yimproved book consists'of a sin-1 out injuring thezbook in any way, andthe in; vention is also-veryusefnl in connection with all kinds. of songand "music books, folios, 1 &c.," asthey will remain'ope'ned flat whenso arranged on a music-rack or other support. I

. In conneetionwith scrap-books and albums the, invention is particu1arly useful, as the r leaves will remain flat andJrest upon a solidj foundationformed by the underneath leaves cally avoided entirely.

vwhen the book is open to facilitate the insertionflof clippings orpictures, and the usual buckling orcurving of the leaves is practitiallyasdescribed; j

Whenthe book is opened at any page up vto the middle of thebook,theentire surface i of both pages from the creases on that sideof ykindof fastening devices .8. for'bindingthe sheetsltogether, wire,thread,

the fastening devices will be'exposed'to view in a flat position and ina mannerwhich will permit of -writiug thereon c1ear 11p; tOi'thelei-eases; When the bO0k is? opened beyond Y the middle thereof,thesurface of both pages H c iv a i will be accessible up to thecreasestherein on I Itwill be observed thatI produce a book hav-I thatside-"of, the fasteningdevice The outside sheet has the widest backportion, and the back portions gradually decrease'in width until;theinner sheet hasipraetically only one crease, although I- prefer tohave a narrow back portion here to accommodate the fastenii'ngfdevices,and when the sheets are made of heavy paper or cardboard for albums, andthe likeitwill probablyb'e desirable t'ohavethe middle sheetprovided'with a narrow back portion blitth-is-is notnecessaryin'ordinary booksand willdependent'irely upon thecharv acter ofthebookjand the-purpose for which it his used; Byvprovidinga'sq'uareback-fortlie book it will be observed that'I' secure all the; advantagesclaimed for those bOOkS'hflV- ling-hinged leaves without employingtheexpensiveand complicatedjmethodsand means necessary for making them;Thefastenin g device is located in the middleof th'eback portion ofthe'leave'sbetweenthe creases, so that each sheet hasa free swinging orhinging]? movement on its creases, which enables }thebook to be openedflat andiavoidsbreak in'g the binding, which'ris"eommonlydone with agr'a m'an'y If d s eamhecre s V .ma tbemade v by perforating}thefleaves,so

f'thatr they] can "be torn 0'ut. Some-book's have f heir backs reundedbefore nseam-10v: cover iiS-Fn t 6 ;F 8;1 y l ed as "b 41 se d 'q ks' revJ irst am ith Sq a e ta s-2am 1' zthew re ;emp oy-thet if square backwith reference tethe unbound befojreitis cased and i'rre'speictivejofthe "fmannerinwhiehitisafterwardlbonjndi lfyHaving-thus fully describedmy invention,

what I claim, and desire to Patent,,i s'

. *Albookconsistingo eribi d ouble leaves ,nested and fastenedltogetherithriough ca s y Le t r theback, in a single signature,saidsignature having a square back, "substantiallygas de-' scribed;

2. "A book consistingbf of f'double leaves fastened togetherina singlesignature, said leaves being each providedwith asquare back portion andnest'e, togetheig sfubstan 8. A book consistibgof of double leavesprovided ithsquare back. portions of gradually-decreasing width andnested and fastened together toliformfa single signature,

substantially asidescribedQ I V a 4. A book consisting Ora-number erdoiibi'e leaves nested andf fajstened" together, said leaves being aprovided with parallel creases to form-square back portions,-substantiallya as described. a

5. A book consisting of a number of double gether from theonter to themiddle leaves of leaves nested and fastened together in the the book,substantially as described. form of a signatureysaid eaves havingparallel creases to form a back portion on each CHARLES TAYLOR 5 leafhaving an angular relation to the plane Witnesses: of the leaves whenthe book is closed and said WM. 0. BELT, creases being gradually broughtnearer to- W. N. MURRAY.

